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Laurie Weidner's Bio

Laurie Weidner, APR, MA, is 25-year PR veteran, former national media spokesperson and trainer who uses her media spokesperson skills to help students become effective communicators. As the former Assistant Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs for the California State University system and faculty member, Laurie is passionate about helping students to change the perception of Greek Life through strategic communications and reputation management. She has earned more than 40 statewide, national and international awards in public relations, reputation management, crisis communications, media relations, governmental affairs and marketing. And, has been a featured speaker at statewide and national conferences hosted by the California Community Colleges Association of Occupational Educators, the California School Boards Association, the National School PR Association, California PTA, the California Association of School Business Officials, the California School PR Association, and Women in Higher Education Tennessee among others. She is a member of Greek University’s speaker’s bureau and is available to speak to students about effective communication, reputation management and the important of cultivating raving fans to promote and preserve Greek Life. In addition, she is the CEO of Parent Education Partners, a firm that works with colleges and universities nationwide to create culturally relevant parent/family engagement programs to improve retention and completion.

PRESENTATION: Storytelling 101: Changing the Greek Life Narrative

Greek Life is at a critical juncture. Parents, university leaders and politicians are weary of Greek organizations because of their liability. To promote and preserve Greek Life, it's time for Greeks to step up and actively work to change the narrative both on and off campus. For far too long, we have allowed others, especially the media, to tell our story. Chapters have also grossly neglected PR. Our collective narrative is distorted and disturbing. With the search ability of the Internet and #hashtags, our negative news perpetuates and is eroding university support and public confidence in Greek Life, which is impacting recruitment, retention, campus affiliations and community support. Learn what you need to do to tell your story in a way that positively influences public perception to support recruitment, retention and the vitality of your chapter/council.

Format:

This interactive session will include lecture with video vignettes, group brainstorming, and a small group exercise. Students will be asked to gather in small groups to brainstorm the messages that our campuses and communities need to read, hear and see about Greek Life. The small groups will also gather to outline the good news stories they need to communicate to change perception on campus and in the community. The presenter will facilitate discussion and the groups will share their ideas collectively with those in attendance.

Learning Objectives:

1. Ascertain the current narrative about Greek Life. Determine what parts of the narrative Greeks can actively work to change.
2. How to tell your story so that the campus and broader community listens.
3. Elements of effective storytelling.
4. Strategies for promoting good news.
5. Why invest in PR?
6. Choosing the right PR Committee chairperson and members. .
7. Training your PR team.

PRESENTATION: Acing Internship and Job Interviews

Every year, more than 2 million students graduate from college with bachelor's degrees. Yet, 53% will be unemployed or in a job after graduation that doesn't require a college degree. This session will help students to beat the odds. Learn from a national media spokesperson and seasoned hiring manager how to be a persuasive, clear communicator who will stand out in today’s tight job market. The session will cover preparation, how to construct a compelling soundbite, do’s and don’ts for success, what to do if you don’t have an answer or don’t want to answer a question, non-verbal communication strategies, and how to navigate difficult questions.

Format:

This hand-on workshop will include lecture, discussion, individual exercises and a pairing exercise. Students will work individually on core messages for use in any competitive interview setting. These messages relate to their skill sets aligned with job functions. They will also work individually on a personal branding statement/elevator speech about themselves. The statement/elevator speech is designed to communicate their uniqueness as a candidate and summarize their college education, college experiences and Greek Life involvement relative to the internship or job opportunity. Once drafted, they will pair up to offer suggestions to one another to strengthen their work product.

Learning objectives:

1. Learn to construct memorable messages that can be delivered in 30 seconds or less.
2. Create an “elevator speech” (short compelling soundbite about you).
3. Strategies for preparing for success.
4. Do’s and don’ts.
5. Tips for managing difficult questions and pivoting to positive messages.

PRESENTATION: Raving Fans: Cultivating Allies On and Off Campus for Greek Life

The proliferation of negative news has impacted Greek recruitment efforts and caused some chapters to lose their charters. It’s time to proactively cultivate the right fans on and off campus to promote and preserve Greek Life. This workshop will teach students how to build and sustain alliances with influential campus leaders and staff, how to cultivate parents as advocates and spokespersons for Greek Life, and how to garner support from civic and community leaders. The workshop will also highlight some of the core messages that Greek Life organizations need to purposefully communicate to build and sustain positive public perception.

'Format:

This interactive session will include lecture, group brainstorming, group sharing and a small group exercise. Students will be challenged to consider how their chapter/council can be more proactive and strategic in building alliances to promote and preserve Greek Life. The session will include a small group exercise in which students will share current strategies used by their chapter/conference to cultivate fans both on and off campus. These strategies will be shared in a large group facilitated discussion. The presenter will also offer case study examples and best practices.

Learning Objectives:

The goal of this workshop is for students to be purposeful and proactive in building a fan base for Greek Life among campus leaders and staff, parents and other key external influencers.

1. Discuss prevailing perceptions of Greek Life and how/why we need to actively work to change them.
2. Identify the leaders on campus who must be our allies.
3. Collectively learn from one another about the strategies that are working effectively to cultivate fans.
4. Highlight strategies and case studies that work best to cultivate on campus fans.
5. Discuss the power of parents and how to harness their influence to positively impact public perception.
6. Brainstorm a list of the influencers outside of campus who need to know the truth about Greek Life and discuss how we can educate and involve them in our chapter/council to reinforce positive messaging.
7. Presentation will also highlight the importance of and selection of individuals to serve on the PR Committee.